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'Not a science project'

Urbandale has unveiled Canada's first home built to updated R- 2000 standards. Although it costs about $25,000 to $35,000 more than its Bridlewood neighbours in Kanata, most of the green features are hidden.

The kitchen features bamboo cupboards and quartz countertops.

Gordon O'Connor, right, MP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, shakes hands with Ron Olson, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association, left, and Urbandale general manager Matthew Sachs, centre, outside the new home.

The first home in Canada to be built to updated R-2000 energy-performance standards was unveiled in Ottawa recently at the official launch of the updated program.

Two dozen guests, including members of the building industry, government and education partners, gathered in the dining and living room of Urbandale's new two-storey demonstration home to announce the 2012 version of the R-2000 standard.

The updated program, a partnership of Natural Resources Canada and the home building industry and backed by the federal government, will make R-2000 homes twice as energy efficient as they were when the program was last updated in 2005.

Urbandale's involvement came about in part because of general manager Matthew Sachs' long-standing interest in energy-efficient building techniques and technology. Since 2007, Urbandale has been building to the rigid R-2000 standards, which go above and beyond the building code, itself updated at the beginning of the year.

Ron Olson, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association, who attended the launch, said participation in the R-2000 program is voluntary, an approach that "has a strong sense of ownership for builders. They offer it to customers with passion and enthusiasm, and Matthew has shown that today, which comes from knowing that they are building the best houses in the world."

Sachs said the intention in the design process of the demonstration home was to build a high-performance house that felt like a home and "not a science project."

A member of Natural Resources Canada's R-2000 committee, Sachs struck up a friendship with Carleton University professor Ian Beausoleil-Morrison while considering a graduate degree in energy efficiency. That friendship led to Beausoleil-Morrison collaborating with Urbandale, along with his fourth-year engineering students, to come up with innovative ideas for the demonstration home.

"For the past couple of years, I've been giving the mechanical engineering students Urbandale's floor plans and specifications and challenging them to redesign our homes in cost-effective ways to save energy," said Sachs.

"Many of the concepts used in this house actually came about through brainstorming sessions and discussions with the students . . . The students will continue to monitor the performance of this house to make sure it matches our expectations."

From the outside, the four-bedroom brick home looks just like others in the neighbourhood. Even looking at the finishes inside, there's only a hint of the green features, like the bamboo cabinets, quartz countertops and triple-glazed windows. Everything that makes this home cost $25,000 to $35,000 more than counterparts built to the Ontario Building Code is either in the walls — with its tighter building envelope and plastic vapour barriers — or the basement, where you'll find the geothermal heat pump, instantaneous water heater, drain-water heat recovery and mechanical ventilation system.

The end result means a noticeably quieter home with even temperatures throughout and better indoor air quality, not to mention conservation of wood, water and energy.

R-2000 was first launched in 1982 and since then more than 14,000 homes have been certified by the government.

MP Gordon O'Connor, in whose riding the home is located, touts R-2000 as a model for environmentally responsible housing everywhere and says the goal is simple: Consume less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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